The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-10-19

ton was equal to revolution.
Military power, disfranchisement, fraud.
crime, rlolence-,every agency that has ever
been known to diaboism-was used and ex-
erted to crush the spirit of our people. 1t
was The Democratic leaders who for eight
long years preceding 1875, by their repeated
heroisn Of the Democratic white masses Of
the, State, marshaled those brave serried
ranks Of loyal Democrats, chose brave men
who faced every ylclssitlde, confronted every
peril, who resisted the allurements and detied
the serrors of power 1t was they who, op-
race problem, created that indoEuitable spirit
of enthusiasm III the Democratic party which
rendered the victory Of 1876 possible. One
of them was Coy. McEHeTy, to whose efforts
largely indebted for their enancips tion from
the bhghtlng oppression OF Radical rule.
Far be it from my PURPOSE to pluck one
laurel from the wreath with which the adj
mirers OF Gen. Nichols are now browning
HIM. have no doubt that from his stand
No one questions his devotion TO the people
and to the interests of louisiana: but, let us
remember that there was more than one So
yioHr III the past terrible struggle which we
have been called on to confront.
There is another reason why | do not con-
slider thai eX-Goy. Nichols, in this critical
condition OF our political affairs, would be
safe leader. refer to the HINT campaign.
We must remember that that was a presiden-
tlal election; we must remember that was a
bolt without any Qualifications. we must re-
member that one of the possible effects of
that movement WAS to endanger the result of
the electoral vote III Louisiana. | can under
stand why those who do not appreciate the
vital Importance Of discipline and organize.
ton in a party should wesT their political
robes loosely, but l cannot understand that
one who is leader in the Democratic party,
who Is IN a position Of ending. political
thought and leading political action could
have been guilty OF the grave political offense
sANcTIoN1NG A BOLT
from nomination.. made at the regular
Democratic convention. Mere gossip, or
runor, or suspicion, does not justify a loyal
Democrat in countenancing a bolt from his
party. II those r,lmors were true, if those
suspicious. were well founded, the victim of
them would have ben,l the Hon Thco. s.
Wilkinson, who, III the following campaign,
was nominated for Congress, and will so
creditabiy represent his district. Yet, sup
posing, Tor the purpose Of the argument, the
minors to have any Foundation, he, the
party who was most directly interested, and
who was to be prejndiced by them, after the
domination OF Col. St.. Martin, after tie
Democracy had rDoken through it's regular
organization, came into the convention and
SUPPORTED the regular nominee of the Demo-
cratic PARTY That IL what call ttr1te, pe1ncG-
and has Il right 70 demand of every man
who claims to be Democrat and recognizes
the obligations. of fealty TO that party. do
not know whether Gen. Nichols ever heard
Of the intended proceeding i'll the United
States court to Illegally di,frsncllise 1000
Democratic voters in one congressional dis
t-sct. | have no reason to believe that he
did; but that is OF no consequence. That
bolt which he justified produced the most
cNtfaordlnary proceeding against the Demo-
t.Y' - ~ St ,--t,,
encourage or sanction bolt little
dream of the Sermons consequences which
htay result from such Il reprehenpible de-
paitute from party usage and tradition and
party discipline. | had the honor 10 appear
as csiliSei against this nefarl4us movement
instituted by Democrats against the Demo-
cratic party, and | remember opening my
argument by announcing to the Judge that
10 lnonstous and outrageous and nncalled
Ior was this proceeding. this proposed dis
reimbursement, that, III my Judgment, any
Federal judge who issued the order that was
prayed for by these Democrats deserved i'm
parchment. Ii that proceeding had Sic
ceeded in tho First, District, it would have
been attempted in the Second, and the cleo
toral vote of the State of Louisiana world
have been cast for James G. Blaine. The
election would have been determined in a
Federal court by a Republican Federal Judge
before the election, and we would have W.T.
messed proceeding lnaugurated by Demo-
enormity the Infamous midnight order of
Judge Dnre. For we must remember that,
although the scheme was defeated, Blaine
came to the Red River Valley With 80, 100
majority. which was overcome by the Democ-
r&cy OF North Louisiana.
so FLAGRANT WAS THIS ATTEMPTED OUTRAGE,
not only, upon judicial proceedings. but
publican Judge, without even taking the
case under Amusement, dismissed it as soon
as the argument was presented.
The reason why | am in favor of the re-
nomination OF Coy. McEnery l viii state
briefly: hsve no hesitation in declaring that
consider that he is in every respect the best
Governor that the State Of Louisiana has ever
had, and that | consider it to be for NV in
teres, as. a citizen of the State of Louisiana,
70 Z, nave INN to continue and to consummate
and development which have been SO pro-
pltlohsly lnaugurated under his adninistra-
ton. In q short time we will have almost
every 'eyee from the Arkansas line to the
Gull OF Mexico -ebuilt and permanently as
sured. l do not desire to give him more
credit for this. than he deserves, but it has
been accomplished by his administration
and he has largely, by his intelligent and
energetic, efforts, contributed to the accom-
pllshment OF that great result. Ibe!ieve that
under his administration the white and the
col0lTd people can live in peace and security,
ana thaf'hls strong, earnest, nGalterablc and
wise convictions upon this race question are
guarantee to the white people Of this State
that through no mistaken policy will we be
threatened by the supremacy of negro rue
To my mind that awfni phantom of a third
term presents no terror Or apprehension.
His friends simply ask that the people shall
twice elect HIM to the office of Governor
he arguments which have been used against
term could be used with tenfold more force
against the election of the President OF the
United States to a second term. Under the
federal government no officers whatever are
elected by the people; under the State gov
eminent all the most important officers are
elected by the people, so that there can be no
comparison between the, patronage of the
two which could be used for the purpose of
renewing ones term of Office again.
THE LIBERTIES OF THE PEOPLE
can only be threatened by the use of the
standing army, or navy. The President OF
tho, United States is commander-in-chief of
both under the Constitution, and no one can
imagine what power a Governor could use to
perpetuate himself IN Office against the will
OF the people. No man in the State of Lo,Iis
iana can for q moinen. feel that his liberty is
to be lrnperlled BY the renomination and re-
eleeaioh VI nov. McEnery, or that any OF the
guarantees Of constitutional government can
pc lmpellied Or set aside by his reelection.
| lis view Is Illustrated by the fact that from
the earliest period OF the foundation of the
Iecefai government the people did not hest
sate TO Reject :, President for second term.
They reelected to = second term George
Washington. Thomas Jefferson. James Madi-
son, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, AEra-
ham Lincoln and u. S. Grant, and have vet
t? learn that any reformer is prepared to de-
clare. to the people Of Louisiana that the re-
election OF President Cleveland, so much de-
sired by the Democracy of Louisiana, win
lmperll our liberties or overthrow constitl.-
tlqnal government in this country.
Bat there is an additional reason, in nv
judgmeat, why. if the people of Louisiana
desire that peace and prosperity in the
fntures which we, now enjoy, Gov. McEnery
should be reelected to the Executive Office.
We are as far to-day from the solution Of this
negro problem as we were when it was first
imposed upon us. We under tand Gov.
McEnerys. views, his convictions and his
policy, and l maintain that it would be a
guarantee to our security and to our ssfety
to have one whose frmness. independence